The present invention relates generally to semiconductor integrated circuits. More particularly, it pertains to a method and structure for textured surfaces in floating gate tunneling oxide devices.
Modern integrated circuit technology relies on transistors to formulate vast arrays of functional circuits. The complexity of these circuits requires the use of an ever increasing number of linked transistors. As the number of transistors required increases, the surface area that can be dedicated to a single transistor dwindles. Today, also, low voltages are desired for low power, portable, battery operated circuits and systems. Thus, it is desirable to construct integrated circuit components which can operate at low voltage levels and accommodate higher density arrangement on the surface of the silicon chip.
Non volatile floating gate tunneling oxide (FLOTOX) devices, e.g. FLOTOX transistors, offer the prospect of very high density structures. Flash memories are one form of FLOTOX devices and electronically erasable and programmable read only memories (EEPROMs) are another. Due to their high density nature, memories formed with FLOTOX transistors have the potential of replacing hard storage disk drives in computer systems. The advantages to this substitution would be in replacing a complex and delicate mechanical system with a rugged and easily portable small solid-state non-volatile memory system. There is also the possibility that given more speed of operation, particularly in the erase operation, that FLOTOX transistors might be used to replace dynamic random access memories (DRAMs). Thus, FLOTOX transistors might eventually have the ability to fill all memory needs in future computer systems.
In operation, FLOTOX transistors can be electrically programmed, erased, and reprogrammed. In FLOTOX transistors a floating gate is electrically isolated and any charge stored on the floating gate is trapped. Storing sufficient charge on the floating gate will create an inversion channel between source and drain of the transistor. Thus, the presence or absence of charge on the floating gate represents two distinct data states.
Typically, FLOTOX transistors are selectively programmed, or xe2x80x9cwritten to,xe2x80x9d by hot electron injection which places a charge on a floating gate during a write. The FLOTOX transistors are selectively erased by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling which removes the a charge from the floating gate. During a write, a high programming voltage is placed on a control gate. This forces an inversion region to form in the body region. The drain voltage is increased to approximately half the control gate voltage while the source is grounded, increasing the voltage drop between the drain and source. In the presence of the inversion region, the current between the drain and source increases. The resulting high electron flow from source to drain increases the kinetic energy of the electrons. This causes the electrons to gain enough energy to overcome the outside barrier and collect on the floating gate.
After the write is completed, the negative charge on the floating gate raises the transistor""s threshold voltage (VT) above the wordline logic 1 voltage. When a written transistor""s wordline is brought to a logic 1 during a read, the transistor will not turn on. Sense amplifiers detect and amplify the transistor current, and output a 0 for a written transistor.
The floating gate can be unprogrammed, or xe2x80x9cerased,xe2x80x9d by grounding the control gate, leaving the drain unconnected, and raising the source voltage to a sufficiently high positive voltage to transfer electrons out of the floating gate to the source terminal of the transistor by tunneling through the insulating gate oxide. After the erase is completed, the lack of charge on the floating gate lowers the cell""s VT below the wordline logic 1 voltage. Thus when an erased cell""s wordline is brought to a logic 1 during a read, the transistor will turn on and conduct more current than a written cell. Some flash devices use Fowler-Nordheim tunneling for write as well as erase.
One of the present hurdles to FLOTOX transistors replacing DRAMs concerns the Fowler-Nordheim (FN) erase operation. Fowler-Nordheim tunneling requires high voltages, is relatively slow, and introduces erratic over erase and other reliability problems due to the very high erase voltages used. These very high erase voltages are a fundamental problem arising from the high electron affinity of bulk silicon or large grain polysilicon particles used as the floating gate. The high electron affinity creates a very high tunneling barrier and, even with high negative voltages applied to the gate, a large tunneling distance. The high tunneling barrier and large tunneling distance equate to a very low tunneling probability for electrons attempting to leave the floating gate. This results in long write times since the net flux of electrons leaving the floating gate is low or the tunneling current discharging from the floating gate is low.
One method for FLOTOX transistors to overcome the high erase voltages and attain DRAM level operation voltages is through the use of textured or micro-roughened surfaces. Efforts have demonstrated that producing a textured surface at the substrate/tunnel oxide (Si/SiO2) interface increases the electric fields between the floating gate and the substrate. The higher electric field in turn produces higher tunneling currents at lower voltages. Previous work has achieved a textured surface of microtips where the average density of the microtips was found to be approximately 108/cm2. Such results produce FLOTOX transistors with suitable rapid, low (DRAM level) operation voltages for transistor cell sizes where the Si/SiO2 interface has an area significantly greater than 10 square micrometers (xcexcm2). Below 10 square microns, however, the large statistical variation of microtip number from transistor to transistor causes an unacceptable variability of tunneling current between transistors for a fixed voltage. Presently, most high density transistors are fabricated in an area of less than 10 xcexcm2.
Thus, what is needed are fast, low power FLOTOX transistors with dimensions that accord with the industry""s demand for high density devices. Low power must be maintained in order to accommodate portable and battery operated devices. In effect, FLOTOX transistors are needed which possess high tunneling current values at low voltages in a chip surface area of less than 10 xcexcm2.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, it is desirable to develop an improved method and structure for FLOTOX transistors.
The above mentioned problems with tunneling oxide devices and other problems are addressed by the present invention and will be understood by reading and studying the following specification. A method and structure are provided to increase tunneling currents at lower voltages in FLOTOX transistors.
In particular, an illustrative embodiment of the present invention includes a non volatile memory cell structure. The non volatile memory cell structure includes a substrate. The substrate has a textured surface which includes an array of microtips. Each microtip has a top surface. The microtips in the array of microtips are uniform and have an average density of 1012/cm2. A tunnel oxide layer is formed on the substrate. A first gate is formed on the tunnel dielectric. An insulator layer is formed on the first gate. And, a second gate is formed on the insulator layer.
In another embodiment, a transistor is provided. The structure includes a first interface having spaced source and drain regions and a body region located between the source and drain regions on a first portion of the interface. The first interface has a micro-roughened surface on the first portion of the interface. The micro-roughened surface includes an array of asperities, each asperity has a top surface. The asperities in the array of asperities have an average density of 1012/cm2. A second interface is adjacent to the first interface. There is a third interface adjacent to the second interface. And, a fourth interface is adjacent to the third interface.
In another embodiment, a memory array of non volatile memory cell structures is provided. The memory array includes a number of floating gate tunneling oxide (FLOTOX) transistors. Each FLOTOX transistor includes a substrate that has a first source/drain region, a second source/drain region, and a body region. The substrate has a textured surface. The textured surface includes an array of microtips with each microtip having a top surface. The microtips in the array of microtips have an average density of 1012/cm2. A tunnel oxide layer is formed on the textured surface. A first conductive layer is formed on the tunnel oxide layer. An insulator layer is formed on the first conductive layer. There is additionally a second conductive layer formed on the insulator layer. A number of wordlines are included. Each wordline is coupled to the second conductive layer for a number of FLOTOX transistors. A number of bitlines are provided. Each bitline is coupled to the second source/drain region for a number of FLOTOX transistors. A number of sense amplifiers couple to a select number of the number of bitlines. Also, a number of sourcelines are present and each sourceline is coupled to a first source/drain region for a number of FLOTOX transistors.
In another embodiment, an information handling system is provided. The information handling system includes a memory array and a central processing unit (CPU) which are coupled by a system bus. The memory array includes the memory array described above and includes a number of floating gate tunneling oxide (FLOTOX) transistors, likewise described above.
Another embodiment for the present invention includes a method for fabricating a non volatile memory cell structure. The method includes forming a textured surface on a substrate. Forming the textured surface includes forming an array of microtips. Each microtip is formed to have a top surface. And, the microtips in the array of microtips are formed to have an average density of 1012/cm2. A tunnel oxide layer is formed on the textured surface of the substrate. A first gate is formed on the tunnel oxide layer. An insulator layer is formed on the first gate. The method further includes forming a second gate on the insulator layer.
According to another embodiment, a method for fabricating a transistor is provided. The method includes forming a first interface. The first interface is formed with spaced source and drain regions and a body region located between the source and drain on a first portion of the interface. A micro-roughened surface is formed on the first portion of the interface. Forming the micro-roughened surface includes forming an array of asperities. Each asperity is formed with a top surface. Further, the method includes forming the asperities in the array of asperities with an average density of 1012/cm2. A second interface is formed adjacent to the first interface. A third interface is formed adjacent to the second interface. And, the method further includes forming a fourth interface adjacent to the third interface.
Thus, an improved structure and method for textured surfaces in floating gate tunneling oxide (FLOTOX) devices are provided. The present invention capitalizes on using xe2x80x9cself-structured masksxe2x80x9d and a controlled etch to form nanometer scale microtip arrays in the textured surfaces. The microtips in the array of microtips have a more uniform size and shape and higher density (xcx9c1012/cm2) at the substrate/tunnel oxide (Si/SiO2) interface than is presently used in FLOTOX technology. This higher density is four orders of magnitude greater than that which had been previously achieved. In result, the new method and structure produce significantly larger tunneling currents for a given voltage than attained in prior work. The new method and structure are advantageously suited for the much higher density, non volatile FLOTOX transistors used in flash memories and in electronically erasable and programmable read only memories (EEPROMs). These FLOTOX transistors are candidates for replacing the low power operation transistors found in DRAMs.
These and other embodiments, aspects, advantages, and features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following description of the invention and referenced drawings or by practice of the invention. The aspects, advantages, and features of the invention are realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities, procedures, and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.